I picked this up in Mesquite on the way to Vegas, been wanting to try it for too long. A four pack for 12.99, little pricy for me but what the hell.

This beer pours like asphalt, pitch black and extremely thick. It left a dark tan head that looked quite nice. In a glass, this is one of the best looking stouts I've seen, just a perfect example of how a good stout should look and pour. I'm smelling a slight licoricey caramel scent, and a little bit of coffee as expected, dark roast. Yum.. Taste is exceptional, all of the smell with a tiny bit of booze, very well hidden though for a 10.5%. The mouthfeel is glorious... It's thick, it's creamy, it's dark, and it's like velvet. Extreme lacing happening with this brew as well. I'm enjoying my first glass thoroughly. I so wish I had this in my state, it would be a regular beer even with it's high price tag. Magnificent stuff here.

I've had this many times, but just picked up a BA version and wanted to give the original a fair review as well. Easily one of the 5 best, year-round shelf stouts available. Smooth mouth-feel up front with a solid flavor profile throughout. Oskar Blues does a lot of yearly beers well, but this is by far my most favorite.

This beer will warm you up when it's cold outside, that's for sure. At 10.5% abv, it certainly doesn't taste that way. The look is thick and black. A brown head lingers for quite some time after the pour. The aroma is heavy, with roasted malts, caramel, and the slightest touch of booze. The taste is to die for. Thick, mouth-coating, and rich. Dark chocolate, caramel, and deep roasted coffee dominate. There is barely any alcohol taste coming through here. Extremely fucking dangerous situation for being 10.5%. The finish is sticky yet slightly dry, making me want to take drink after drink. Overall, this is incredible. Living in Colorado I was able to get a 4 pack for $13.99. If you see this, pick it up and enjoy.

Brown frothy 3/4 finger head,dissipates quickly,but maintains a beautiful lacing.Dark black body,with zero light showing through the glass.The body is so dark,it is hard to tell how much carbonation there really is.

The nose is mostly chocolate,coffee,and dark fruits.Mixed well with some toffee,and roasted malts.I'm almost getting some hints of spices too,but they are hard to identify.

The palate is chocolate,coffee,dark fruits,and roasted malts.I'm getting a small hint of alcohol,but nothing over the top.Nice little hop bite at the back end...Surprisingly smooth for a 10.5 abv beer.The body is thick,chewy,and a little bit sticky.

Overall this is a very good Imperial Stout.Nice blend of chocolate,coffee,and dark fruit,with highlights of spices,and a slight hint of alcohol,to add a nice edge.Definitely a keeper!!!

L - Poured into a snifter. Ten FIDY pours an inky, motor oil brownish-black with a thick head of mocha-colored foam that gradually settles to a thick cap atop the beer. Some patches of lacing cling to the glass on the drink down.

S - Notes of heavily roasted grain, rich dark-chocolate cake, very overripe dark fruits, and a bit of coffee dominate the aroma. A mild, leafy hoppy character lingers behind all of the wonderful stout aromas. The 10.5% ABV is remarkably well hidden.

T - Flavors of bitter cocoa and heavy dark roast prevail. Chocolate lava cake comes to mind. A touch a hoppiness balances the decadent, rich chocolate and roast flavors. The same overripe dark fruit character of the aroma shows itself in some estery yeast and booze notes. Again, the 10.5% ABV is so well hidden, but it provides a pleasant phenol note to the big sweetness. The finish is surprisingly dry, but leaves a deep cholocatey note lingering on the palate.

F - About as viscous and "chewy" of a texture that I've ever encountered in an imperial stout. The perfect amount of carbonation bubbles allow the immense flavors to pop, but never get in the way.

O - A real benchmark for the style. One of the most chocolate-forward imperial stouts I've encountered. Remarkably balanced and "dry" for a beer of this stature. Each sip leaves you in anticipation of the next. Damn near perfect.

L: Pours out almost pitch black, with hints of cola brown in the light. It looks like motor oil even as it pours out. In the glass, it's midnight black, topped by a creamy, sticky brown head with surprisingly great retention, and leaves tons of tan lacing along the glass.

T: So much dark and bitter chocolate upfront. The mid-palate transitions to caramel, toffee, toasted pumpernickel bread, and spice cake. Some fig and brandy-soaked raisin as well. Just before it gets cloying, the finish transitions to a beautifully, pungently bitter earthy, espresso roast, tempered by savory, brothy, meaty umami, which lingers forever, continually teasing the palate between bitterness and sweetness.

F: Full-bodied, thick, creamy, and chewy; yet with a potent enough carbonation that the beer still flows smoothly and easily across the palate, behooving you to take the next gulp!

O: This is not only the best Oskar Blues beer and one of the best imperial stouts I've had, but one of the best beers I've ever had. It's so extremely complex, flavorful, and delectable, yet ridiculously drinkable. Absolutely incredible.

T: Taste matches aromas well with toasted malt and strong coffee notes up front followed by bitter dark chocolate, cherry, and spice notes.

F: Full bodied, thick, smooth, and creamy with a small but good amount of carbonation.

O: Overall, a great Russian Imperial Stout. Well balanced. Top of the line stout for something that is readily available. This one aged extremely well! Wish I would've grabbed a couple more cans from that date.

Black with tightly packed dark brown head. The smell is driven by chocolate and nutmeg with hints of spice. The taste is through the roof. Tastes of molasses, maple syrup, and cocoa beans. Has a smoky tobacco aftertaste. Texture is thick a luscious, almost like chocolate milk. Generally, imperial stouts are a hard-hitting make, but even by imperial stout standards this is excellent.

The beer was poured from a 12oz can into a tall snifter. There was no date or batch number on the can. I surmise this has worn off in the six years I’ve been storing it.

Appearance: Pours a beautiful pitch black with a rich creamy brown head. Head retention is lacking but there is a slight lace that remains for the entirety of the drink. The beer is impenetrable with a light red hue around the edges.

Smell: The aroma is complex and rounded, as if those several years of coexistence has brought all of the separate elements closer together. A woody alcohol pervades, with hints of dried dates and roasted and dark malts.

Taste: Very complex, slightly sweet, with a little bit of a bite on the end. Woody alcohol is most present, this gives way to a creamy, roasty grain flavor that turns a bit harsh on the back end. Notes of dried dates become more present as the beer begins to warm. Alcohol is relatively drying.

Mouthfeel: Moderate carbonation, creamy, great mouthfeel. Some lingering sweetness that is nicely contrasted with the dryness of the malt.

Drinkability: Definitely cannot notice the high abv of this beer. It is incredibly drinkable on the warm Florida evening, I can imagine it is significantly more drinkable on a cool autumn night. Very glad I aged this one for a couple of years. I have had younger versions, and I always describe the flavors as sharp. This one has taken some time to blend all of its parts into a nice rounded drinkable, highly flavorful beer!

I am very disappointed in this years (2016) version of Ten Fidy. It is lacking the depth of the previous years. This version seems like it needs to age for a year or two. The fruit flavors almost seem spicy to me. I have tried 2 cans a week apart and they still seem off compared to previous releases. It seems to be lacking the depth of booze flavor from the past. Still a good beer, but not what it used to be!

12oz can from Noble Grains NYC on the UES
Pours jet black with dark brown bubbly head that lingers, great lacing, smell is roasted chocolatey booze, taste is rich fudge, roasted sugary oats, bitter chocolate, slight warming booze, feel is thick and creamy. A huge imperial stout in such a small can, gets close to that African dirt taste that brings me back to my childhood. Yum!

A - Looks very dark and thick, with a nice one-finger tan head greeting the pour. Head subsides after a minute, leaving impressive lacing on the glass.

S - dark chocolate, roasted coffee, caramel and toffee.

T - There are a lot of hops in this beer (98 IBU??), but they are nicely balanced by the robust dark chocolate and roasty characteristics.

M - One of the thicker beers out there. Just coats the tongue and envelops it in the awesome flavors of the beer! The 10.5% ABV is barely noticeable as well.

O - Great stout, especially with a bit of age on it - this allows the higher hop content to cool down a bit. Meaty, robust beer that grabs you by the balls and does not let go. However if you hate hops, stay away.

Pour is a very dark brown, nearing jet black. Khaki colored head with nice lacing on the glass. Very oily and viscous looking. Aroma is big roasty malts, bakers chocolate, hints of coffee and dark fruit. A certain piney smell is somewhere in there as well. Taste is big roasty malt forward, hints of dark chocolate and pine as well. Very bitter and piney for a stout, but balances with the big roasted malt profile surprisingly well. Not your creamy and chocolaty stout. Mouthfeel is very thick, palate coating. Sticky and dry after taste. Not much ABV detected.

Reviewing for the record, but you all already know this is pretty much a great RIS. I found a 4-pack at the local Bristol's in Westwood and had to get this before it disappeared. $17 for 4. Its reputation precedes it.

Pours black, the lacing is a torn curtain of perfection. Brown 1-finger head. Aroma is what you expect, coffee, chocolate, some rum, malt. Nothing wrong or unexpected.

People who like more dark fruit might prefer Old Rasputin. Firestone's Parabola is richer, and just as hard to get a hold of. Ten Fidy has less character but also no false notes. Maybe nothing to fall in love with? Except a fine middle-of-the-road Russian stout.

Two cans, 10/24/14 "Werewolf Serum" and 9/16/13 "Fidy6 Makem Holla." Pours black with a huge brown head. Smells of pure roasted malt and cocoa. The taste follows closely with roasted malt, cocoa, and some earthy hops. The 2013 can had a noticeably stronger cocoa flavor. Nice body but lots of carbonation for the style. Fantastic smell/taste overall. Definitely one of the better non-BA stouts and easy to find. I wish Oskar Blues would can a nitro version of this.

Also had a 2012 can in Aug of 2016, dated 10/26/12 "Infioyous." Had a little less carbonation in the pour. Still retained lots of cocoa and some roasted malt flavor, but had oxidation in the smell/taste. Noticeable smoother/rounder. Almost like a smooth cocoa wine. It's a little past it's prime, but held up okay with 4 years on it.

Have really been wanting to try this beer, then lo and behold I saw it on tap at a local brewery. Dark as night and unexpectedly fruity for an imperial stout. Lots of chocolate and coffee and so many other delicious things. Felt no carbonation and didn't have the bitter clinging after taste that most imperial's have. Glad I got to try it.